-Are you a graduate student doing/thinking/planning/engaging with qualitative research?
-Have you wondered how to move forward in this present moment with your research? Is there a critical issue that has you particularly vexed?
-Do you feel stuck, perplexed, haunted, paralyzed, excited, intrigued by the present moment or all of these and more?
-Would you like help thinking through this critical mo(ve)ment in qualitative inquiry?
We all experience moments where we are not sure how to move or navigate in our research. Particularly in light of the present mo(ve)ment of CoVID-19 and the social and political responses to anti-Black racism, we might wonder about theory (How can I theorize this? Do I have the right theory? How is my theory responsive to this mo(ve)ment? What do I do with theoretical concepts?), wonder about design (How do I design this qualitative project? What do I do if my research doesn’t look like any qualitative research I’ve seen?), wonder about data (What is my data? How do I collect it? How do I analyze it? What if those categories–data and analysis–don’t make sense with the theories I am reading?), wonder about writing (How can I find time to write? How can my writing be inquiry? How do I justify my choice of textual format?), wonder about reading (How much reading is enough? How can philosophy better inform my work?), wonder about ethics (How might my work matter? Who and what are excluded from my work?). Or wondering in other ways not listed here.
If any of this sounds familiar, we invite you to apply to participate in the Graduate Student Mentoring Session during AERA 2021 (April 9-12). During this session you will present on your critical mo(v)ement for approximately five minutes to a small group of qualitative scholars who will help you think through/with/about your wondering. Maybe something one or more of them says will help you see your wondering in a new light, lead to new insights or solutions, and/or open up spaces for more exciting puzzles.
Please keep in mind that AERA will be held in April, 2021 in a virtual format. As you think through your application, write about something you anticipate you will still be thinking through in April. For instance, if you are currently wondering about designing your dissertation study, you may not still be designing your study in April. However, you may still be grappling with a lingering ethical question related to your research design that you hope to continue thinking through.
To apply for the Graduate Student Mentoring Session, please complete the google form here: http://bit.ly/AERA21MentoringApp by September 10, 2020. The application includes:
1. Information about you, your institution, and where you are in your graduate program
2. A description of where, how, and why you feel “stuck”
3. A discussion of what you hope to get from this mentoring session
4. A list of 2-5 qualitative scholars you think would best help you
We anticipate selecting 10-15 graduate students to participate in this opportunity and will inform all applicants of their acceptance in early November 2020. Should you be offered and accept this opportunity, we ask that you also commit to attend AERA and this session. Selected applicants’ names will appear in the 2021 AERA program as presenters.
If you have any questions, please contact Maureen Flint, maureen.flint@uga.edu
Sincerely,
QR SIG Mentoring Committee, AERA Mentoring Session
Kelly W. Guyotte, Chair
Susan Cannon
Adam Clark
Travis Marn
Maureen Flint
Rebecca Christ
April Jones
Francesca Williamson
Francheska Starks